EAST HANOVER – For the first three years of Michael Boeckel’s Hanover Park basketball career, he’s been a pass-first point guard. The lone Hornets senior, Boeckel decided to take things into his own hands for a change.

He scored his 1,000th career point in Hanover Park’s 76-51 defeat of West Morris on Friday night. Boeckel finished with a career high 35 points for 1,026 all time, also reaching 400 career assists, and stopping three short of 150 steals.

But the most important highlight to Boeckel was Hanover Park’s 75th victory over his four years.

After Boeckel sank a layup from the right side with 3:32 left in the first quarter, the game was briefly halted, and Hornets coach Todd Hartman presented him with a hand-painted commemorative basketball and a black-and-gold banner.

Boeckel and his parents, Antonietta and Michael Boeckel, had already been recognized for Senior Night. The only Hornets senior this winter, he had played with classes of eight, nine, and 10 over the past three seasons.

“I wanted to let the game come to me,” said Boeckel, who plans to attend The Citadel. “I didn’t want to force anything. … It was a lot of pressure off my shoulders, that I accomplished a goal I didn’t think I could.”

Buy Photo

Hanover Park senior point guard Mike Boeckel is a four-year starter on a young team.(Photo11: Bob Karp/Staff Photographer)

Boeckel is the sixth Hanover Park boy to reach 1,000 points, the third in as many seasons following John Crown (2016) and Matt Windschuh (2017) – who benefited from many of his assists.

Rob Hill is the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer, with 1,723 points and 1,153 rebounds from 1983 to 87. Kevin Arps’ 1020 points rounds out the list.

“I knew the second he walked on campus as a freshman what kind of career he’d have here,” Hartman said. “He’s been such a team-first guy. Whatever our team needed, he supplied. I’m glad the night could be about him, because as long as he’s been here, he’s been for everybody else. … The only thing I said to the rest of the guys was, ‘Tonight, you show up for him. Don’t let him lose tonight.”

Boeckel’s cheering section Friday night included about 30 immediate family members, most prominently grandparents Carol and Paul Boeckel, and grandmother Raffaela Macera. Michael Boeckel dedicated the milestone to his mom, “for waking me up, still scratching my back going to bed, and making the best chicken cutlets ever.”

Said Antonietta Boeckel, “It really is awesome to witness. He’s so dedicated, will miss anything to get to practice. It’s like his job.”

Boeckel grew up playing football, soccer, baseball and even swimming. Basketball was a new sport for the family, where Antonietta had been a swimmer and the elder Michael Boeckel involved with football and lacrosse.

Boeckel didn’t start playing basketball until fifth grade, on the East Hanover rec team. But he was quickly discovered by a referee, and became one of the founding players of the Garden State Warriors AAU squad.

The Boeckels had a key painted in their driveway, and Antonietta Boeckel recalled her son “shooting for hours all by himself.” He developed his game with the Morris Magic, alongside other 1,000-point scorers like Morristown-Beard alumnus Brian Monaghan. As an eighth grader, Boeckel was named MVP when the Magic won the New Jersey championship.

“He took the ball over,” Michael Boeckel said. “He loved the game so much. All we hear is the basketball around the house. It’s chicken cutlets or basketball, his two favorites.”